EDITOR'S CHOICE FARMING NEWS Helston fatstock show success Health and wealth study award for Cornish farming couple Show tickets Get tickets for the Royal Welsh Smallholder and Garden Festival. Win a prize for inventing a gadget. Click here for more information GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 Prize for inventor at top show 2 Cattle sale success 3 Mastitis warning from damp straw 4 NFU claim huge boost in membership 5 Cornish farmers' successes 6 Scottish midge still source of concern for bluetongue - South West Farmer takes an in depth look at the bluetongue disease and the methods being devised to combat and halt its spread 7 Sheep leader in Paris 8 Looking good for pigs at Smithfield 9 Farmers should carry extinguishers in tractors 10 Lower somatic cell counts Today | 7 Days 1 Land Army girls recognised at last

Comment

Chris and Sue Batstone with Business Link's Graham Woolcock

FARMERS and land based businesses in North Devon, Torridge and West Devon can improve their businesses performance by tapping into a support programme run by Business Link Devon and Cornwall.

Launched last year, the Rural Business Growth Service helps people develop their business' potential through either improving its current performance or diversifying into alternative enterprises. Funded by Devon Renaissance the programme has assisted a wide range of businesses throughout the area and is inviting further applications.

Graham Woolcock, Business Link's agricultural contract manager explained: "The Single Farm Payment scheme has made a lot of farmers take a second look at their existing business to see whether the activities they have concentrated on in the past are fit to take them forward in the future - which is where this scheme can help.

"We can provide funding support for consultancy services to help farming and land based businesses review their options. Businesses can get help with practical assistance to prepare business plans, cash flows and budgets to enable them to make sound financial decisions and face the future with more confidence."

Those considering moving into processing or adding value to their products, setting up a diversified enterprise, including developing buildings, for example a farm shop, office lets or tourism can also use the service - on average four days of consultancy at a support rate of 50 per cent.

Dairy farmers, Sue and Chris Batstone of West Hill Farm, near Ilfracombe, have been using the service to help them develop their business and increase dairy production.

Sue said: "We have been producing a range of organic milk, butter and creams from our dairy herd for five years but recently our family responsibilities increased and we also wanted to concentrate on expanding our product range. Looking after the herd was a 24 hour job in itself and we just couldn't get the time to we needed to spend on the dairy. With the help of our consultant, Mike Houghton of Andersons, we created an arrangement with our neighbour to contract manage the herd from our farm, freeing us up to spend more time on the dairy business.

"It is an excellent arrangement because the herd is still being reared in the same conditions, yielding the same quality of milk."

Sue continued: "We have already felt the benefit of having the extra time to devote to the dairy and are currently creating a cheese processing room at the farm so we can increase our range of products.

"Receiving funding support towards Mike's professional services has been a real help and his input has been excellent - he knows the industry and gives us an objective opinion on just what we can achieve."

Graham concluded: "The issues are different for every company - it may be expansion, diversification or partnership changes but whatever the topic, bringing in professional help can bring tangible benefits.

"The Rural Business Growth Service is a very flexible form of support which is tailored to individuals' needs."

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login